Spring binding post



Oct. 9, 1928. 1,686,958

L. CARUSO SPRING BINDING POST Filed May 26. 1925 L u/J 6 4,110.10 INVENTOR BY i ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

UNITED STATES P 1,686,955 ENT LOUIS cAnUso, or mvrneron, NEW JERSEY, AssrGnoR o run LIONEL CORPORA- TION, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW Yonxsums I DIN PO I- Application filed Ma 26,, 1925. Serial n 3 2,893.

This invention relates to spring binding posts and more particularly isdirected to an.

ter described comprising few parts of simple construction, which shall be comparatively cheap to manufacture, and efhcient in operation to a high de ree. Y

Other objectsof this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out. V

Certain features herein shown and described are shown, described and claimed in my co,-\pcnding application Serial No. 627,021 filed .MayQSrd, 1923,, the present application being a'continuation of said co-pending application. V

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described and of which the scope of application willbe indicated in the following claims.

In the accoi'npanyingdrawing, in which is shown one of thevarious possible illustrative embodiments of this invention, i

- Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing spring terminal clips embodying the invention employed in a detachable.connecting plate for leading current to and from a toyu'ailway track; I I

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the binding plate shown in Fig. l; I Fig.3 is an enlarged plan-view ofaspring terminal clip embodying the invention;

Fig. 4: is a cross-sectional view taken on line l l in Fig. 3; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary cross-sectional viewsshowing in detail modified formsof the terminal clip for clamping a conductor \VlIG. I t

Referring indetail'to the drawing, 10 and 1O" denote spring terminal clips embodying the invention applied to a demountable attachment plate 11 for connecting rails 12 and 13 of an electric toy railway to a suitable power source in the well understood manner.

The binding plate 11 may be constructed as described in detail in my aforementioned co-pending application and is seen'to comand for other like prise a base 14 made of insulating'material spring terminalclip 10 and a gripping lever 17 pivoted to a contact piece 18 whichp'refera'bly is constructed to include the other spring terminal clip 10.

' T 0 apply the binding plate 11, the lever 17 is swung-to thedotted position S QW in g- 2 and the base l i'i's projected beneath the rails 12 and 13 farenoughlfor the"hook"ends 15 toeng age with the remote edge flange 113 of rail 13;. The lever 17' .lthenlswiingto the position shown inFigs. 1 and2 so that the anchor and 1-17 of saidlever engages the'adjacentedge flange 12 of the 'rail 12, and the at. tachmentplate 11 is positively secured to the track rails. The'jcoiitact member 15am piece 18 are thus brought directly into electrical,

contact with therails 13 and'12 respectively each of wh ch may be connected to a suitable electr c supply sourcebymeans ofconductor Wires C secured; to each of the clip terminals 10 and 10* shown in the drawing.

The clip 10 or 10a embodyi githe invention is seen in Figs. 3 and fl to jcomprisearelay tively rigid .lfidy ,me'mber 18 and a gripping t s Seid body memb r ifsr e b r made of stampedmetalto .upstanding looped skeletonized stanchion 19 at one end threof, and a soclret .20 fornied'by displacing" a strip 21 of metal from 'a portionof the body member 18 adjacent the other end-.' The @clips may be fir'mlysecured in place'by any suitable form of attachment means as for example by soldering when n oiinte'd on metallie'support, or 115 shown inFig. h'by providing "one "or fmore suitably disposed clamping tabs formed to extendthrough base '14 orin any other well understood niannen Tongue member is of substantially U shape preferably made of a metal havingrel'ati'vely higher resilient properties than that from which the rigid body memberlS is constructed, such for example as tempered steel, ahosphor bronze, andtthe like material; Adjacent the end of the lower portion 23 of the tongue member 23, a hole 2 1 is provided whereby it may be slipped on a lug 18 struck up from the body member 18 on the rim of an opening 25 in one side 19 of the looped stanchion 19. The free or finger end 23 of said tongue member is arranged to pass through said opening 25 and another similar opening 26 in the other side 19 of the stanchion 19 and projects with suflicient clearance to permit the tongue to be depressed below the top or bight 19 of the looped stanchion 19 to automatically grip one or more'conductor wires C inserted between the tongue member portions of the bight 30 forming the rims of openings and 26 are made with relatively sharp edges 30? to effectively bite into conductor wire 0 due to the pressure exerted by said tongue member, thus assuring good elec trical contact and preventing accidental di placement of the wire from the clip. It will be noted that the clip embodying the inven tion is seen to comprise two very simple interlocking parts, namely the body member 18 and a spring tongue 23. These parts are constructed so as to permit each of them to be made of a material best suited for its particular function and quickly assembled to pro vide an improved, highly practical and eflicient, device of very cheap manufacturing cost. Thebody member 18 may be made of a material which is not necessarily springy but which may be formed into a rigid struc- 1 ture, whereas the tongue member 23 is best made of a highly resilient material.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative andnot in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A terminal clip of the character described comprising a body member constructed at one end thereof with a looped portion having openings toform an upstanding skeletonized stanchion, a substantially U-shaped spring tongue having a hole at one end thereof, and means on said member for anchoring the tongue against displacement with the unperforated end projecting through the openings in the loop portion, said anchoring means including a lug extending from said member adjacent the stanchion for locking with the hole in said tongue, and holding means on said member for engaging said tongue at a spaced distance from said hole.

2. A terminal clip of the character described comprising a body member constructed at one end thereof with a looped portion having openings to form an upstanding skeletonized stanchion, a substantially U-shaped spring tongue having a hole at one end thereof, and means on said member for anchoring the tongue against displacement with the unperforated end projecting through the openings in the loop portion, said anchoring means including a lug extending from said member adjacent the stanchion for locking with the hole in said tongue, hold- 7 mg means on said member for engaging said tongue at a spaced distance from said hole, and means formed integral with the body member for securing the clip to a support.

8. A terminal clip of the character de scribed comprising'a body member con structed at one end thereof with a looped portion having openings to form an upstanding skeletonized stanchion, a substantially U-shapedspring tongue having a hole at one end thereof, and means on said member for anchoring the tongue against displace ment with the unperforated end projecting through the openings in the loop portion, said anchoring means including a lug ex tending from said member adjacent the stanchion for looking with the hole in said ton ue, and holding means on said member for engaging said tongueat a spaced distance from said hole, said clip adapted to bind a conductor wire inserted between the looped portion of said member and said projecting end of the tongue, the upper rim portions of said openings being pro- LOUIS CARUSO. 

